How Fayose’s Fight with Sen. Olujimi May Affect Atiku’s Prospects

Bonaventure Melah

As the coordinator of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential campaign project in the South West, former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose is supposed to be a bridge builder. If truly Fayose wants his party, the PDP and its presidential candidate, former vice president Atiku Abubakar to win majority of the votes in the South West as is mandate, Fayose would act like a father to all PDP stakeholders in the geopolitical zone, especially prominent politicians and those that hold top level political offices, no matter what has passed under the bridge they built together.
It is on that backdrop therefore that the current efforts by Fayose to undermine the political aspirations of some of his political allies in the zone, especially his home state of Ekiti leaves a taste of ash in the mouth.
There is no doubt that Fayose is a political juggernaut that is respected by many for his stand against injustice and political intimidation, especially against opposition elements and social critics by the federal government while he was in office as governor but his decision to go to war against his political allies that fought alongside him in the trenches when the battle was fierce would rather diminish than add impetus to his social and political standing.
Among the allies that Fayose is fighting is his one-time deputy and current Minority Leader in the Senate, Senator Biodun Olujimi.
It would be recalled that Senator Olujimi and Fayose have come a long way together in their political journeys. She was a strong ally and supporter of Fayose, especially in the build-up to the 2014 governorship election when she stood behind him and contributed immensely to his victory at the polls. Give it also to Fayose, he, in appreciation, gave massive support to Olujimi, leading to her nomination as PDP candidate and subsequent election as senator representing Ekiti South senatorial district in 2015.
The relationship between the two stalwarts however nosedived when in 2018, Olujimi indicated interest to succeed Fayose as governor since he was serving out his second term. This was against Fayose’s choice of supporting his deputy to take over from him. Fayose later had his way and made his deputy the candidate of the PDP who was however defeated by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Dr. Kayode Fayemi.
Because Senator Olujimi in expressing her legitimate right to aspire for higher political office was seen by Fayose as daring to challenge his choice of a successor, the former governor is reported to have sworn that he would not allow Olujimi to return to the senate and is said to be working assiduously to achieve that.
Fayose should have known or be made to understand that as the highest PDP political office holder from the South West at the federal level Olujimi is an asset to him, the PDP and Atiku’s presidential project.
It is true that the relationship between Fayose and Senator Olujimi has suffered some cracks in recent time, the two politicians are supposed to know that they have a common enemy to confront and therefore the need to unite and confront the challenge, together. Fayose in particular should realise that his pre-occupation with the anti-Olujimi project is eating up much of the energy and goodwill and time he is supposed to invest in delivering Atiku in the South West.
It is however not too late for Fayose to look back into the trying days in which he and the likes of Senator Olujimi endured harsh times in the trenches and the fact that they have worked together for many years.
The above should be added to the fact that Fayose and Olujimi have a huge assignment to deliver Atiku in the South West, a reason the two should bury their grudges and work like a team by him supporting her current aspirations to return to the senate, as they say, “You do not use your hands to pull down the house you built or contributed in building.”